Trolley-controlling device



F. H. BURNHA'M.

TROLLEY CONTROLLING DEVICE. :APPLICATION FILED s-E PT. 23, 1.920.

'1,376,9 18,. Patented May 3, 1921,

[TIT/67725074,

. UNITED STATES eaten? OFFEQE.

FRANCIS H. BUBNHAM, 0F BBOGKTON, MASSACHUSETTS. i

TROLLEY-CONTROLLING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 3', 1921.

Application filed. September 23, 1920. Serial No. 412,180.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, FRANCIS H. BURNHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at 'Brockton, in the'county of Plymouth and This invention relates to a device for controlling the trolley of the ordinary well known type used in connection with electric street cars.

The object of the invention is to provide a device which will allow the trolley to move upwardly and downwardly to keep the trolley wheel in contact with the trolley wire, but in case the'trolley wheel becomes disengaged from the trolley wire and is carried upwardly above the trolley wire, then the device is automatically brought into operation to control the trolley wheel and pole and prevent its moving upwardly to an excessive distance whereby injury to the trolthe trolley pole mechanism illustrating the same attached to a portion of the top of a car.

- Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the casing in which the secondary weight is contained.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings. 7

In the drawings, 5 is a portion of the roof of a trolley car, 6 is the trolley stand which is pivotally mounted at 7 in the usual man: ner upon the roof of the car. 8 is a trolley pole of the usual construction pivoted at 9 to the trolley stand 6' and provided with springs 10 which tend to move the trolley pole upwardly together with the trolley wheel 11 which is rotatably mounted upon said trolley pole at 12 in the usual manner. A pulley 13 is rotatably mounted at 14 in a pulley block 15, which pulley block is suspended by means of links 16 from an arm 17 on the trolley pole 8. A flexible member 18 extends over the pulley 13 and consists, as a whole, of a rope 19 to one end of which is attached a chain 20. The other end of I said rope has a primary weight 21 attached thereto and to said weight is fastened an eye 22 which constitutes a guide and through which the rope 19 extends. The chain 20 is fastened at 23 to the front wall '24 of a hollow casing 25, said casing being attached by means of fastening devices extending through ears 26-thereon to the-dash of the car. The rear wall 27 of said casing is provided with a slot 28 in its upper edge and this slot is adapted to receive a link 29 of the chain 20 when the parts of the device are in their normal positions. The portion 7 of the chain between the end where it is fastened to the casing wall at and the link 29 is arranged to form a loop 30 inside the casing 25 and upon this portion of the chain is mounted a pulley 31 which is journaled at 32 to rotate upon a secondary weight 33 which is slidable vertically in the casing 25.

The general operation of the mechanism hereinbefore described is as follows: Under normal conditions the trolley wheel llfwill be held in contact with the trolley wire 34 by the springs 10 and trolley pole 8 in a manner well known to those skilled in this art.

' j Under these conditions the secondary weight partly 33 will be held suspended in the casing 25 but inactive, by the pulley 31 which rests upon the loop 30 of the chain 20, one end of said chain 23 being held fast to the wall 24 and the other end being held by the link 29 in the slot28. Under these conditions as the trolleywheel 11 plays upwardly and downwardly in engagement with the trolley wire 34 the weight 21 will moveupwardly and downwardly while the guide 22 plays upwardly and downwardly on the rope 19. Now if the trolley wheel 11 becomes disengaged from the trolley wire 34:, the springs 10 will immedis ately throw the trolley pole and its wheel upwardly until the primary weight 21 comes in contact with'the pulley 13 or with the pulley block 15. This will prevent any further play or movement offthe primary weight 21' with relation to the pulley 13, consequently upon further movement ups wardly of the trolley pole the rope 19'will pull the link 29 outof the slot 28 and the weight 33 will then move downwardly to-' ward the bottom of the casing and will pull the trolley pole 8 and the trolley wheel 11 downwardly until the weight 33 arrives at the bottom of the casing 25. The different parts are so proportioned that when the weight 33 arrives at the bottom of the casing 25, the trolley wheel will be pulled downwardly below the normal position of the trolley wire. The several parts of the device are again placed in operative position by raising the Weight 33, placing the link 29 in the slot 28 and placing the trolley wheel in engagement with the trolley wire as illustrated in Fig. 1. It will be understood that the weight 83 must be sufliciently heavy to pull the trolley pole 8 downwardly to overcome the tension of the springs 10.

I claim:

1. A controlling device for a trolley having, in combination, a trolley pole, a trolley wheel rotatably mounted on said trolley pole, means for normally holding said wheel in engagement with the trolley wire, a rotary member suspended from said trolley pole, a flexible member extendingover said rotary member, a primary weight on one end of said flexible member, a secondary weight connected to the other end of said flexible member, locking means adapted to engage said flexible member between said rotary member and said secondary weight to normally hold said secondary weight sus pended and inactive, said flexible member being adapted to be disengaged from said locking means to allow said secondary weight to drop when said flexible member is prevented from moving relatively to said rotary member, whereby said trolley pole may be moved downwardly by said secondary weight.

2. A controlling device for a trolley having, in combination, a trolley pole, a trolley wheel rotatably mounted on said trolley pole, means for normally holding said wheel in engagement with the trolley wire, a rotary member suspended from said trolley pole, a flexible member extending over said rotary member, a primary weight on one end of said flexible member, a secondary weight connected to the other end of said flexible member, a guide fast to said primary weight and slidable on said flexible member between said rotary member and wheel rotatably mounted on said trolley pole, means for normally holding said wheel in engagement with the trolley wire, a pulley and pulley block suspended from said trolley pole, a flexible member extending over said rotary member, a primary weight on one end of said flexible member, a secondary weight connected to the other end of said flexible member, locking means adapted to engage said flexible member between said rotary member and said secondary weight to normally hold said secondary weight suspended and inactive, said flexible member being adapted to be disengaged from said locking means to allow said secondary weight to drop when said flexible member is prevented from moving relativelyto said rotary member, whereby said trolley pole may be moved downwardly by said secondary weight. r Y

4. A controlling device for a trolley having, in combination, a trolley pole, a trolley wheel rotatably mounted on, said trolley pole, means for normally holding said wheel in engagement with the trolley wire, a rotary member suspended from said trolley pole, a flexible member extending over said rotary member, a primaryweight on one end of said flexible member, a chain fast to the other end of said flexible member and forming a part thereof, a secondary weight connected to said chain, a stationary member provided with a slot adapted to be engaged by saidchain between said rotary member and said secondary weight, whereby said secondary weight may be held suspended and inactive, said chain being'adapted to be disengaged from said slot to allow said secondary weight to' drop when said flexible member is prevented from moving relatively to said rotary member, whereby said trolley pole may be moved downwardly by said secondary weight.

5. A controlling device for a trolley having, in combination, a trolley pole, a trolley wheel rotatably mounted on said trolley pole, means for normally holding said wheel in engagement with the trolley wire, a rotary member suspended from. said trolley pole, a flexible member extending over said rotary member, a primary weight on one end of said flexible member, a chain fast to. the other end of said flexible member and forming a part thereof, a hollow vertical stationary receptacle, said chain being fastened at its free end to one wall of said receptacle and being adapted to extend through a slot provided in the opposite wall of said receptacle, a pulley mounted upon said chain within said receptacle, a secondary weight connected to and supported by said pulley upon said chain, whereby said secondary weight may be'normally held suspended and inactive, said chain being adapted to be disengaged from said slot' to 1,376,918 A V i I 3 allow said secondary weight to drop when said primary weight engages said rotary member and said flexible member is thereby prevented from moving relatively to said 7 rotary member and whereby said trolley pole may be moved downwardly by said secondary weight.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

, FRANCIS H. BURNHAM.

Witnesses: l l

' Y CHARLES S. GOODING,

FRANKLIN E. Low. 

